DC's in-house ads have been equating this new jumping-on point and creative team as being the Super-office's answer to Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's upcoming run on Batman. Busiek and Pacheco certainly have the reputations to merit such a comparison, but the execution on this issue doesn't bear it out. The script is rather ordinary and paints the title character in a less than likeable light. And the art is cluttered and busy, lacking in the sort of strength we've seen from Pacheco in the past. I usually enjoy it when a new creative team shows up to puts its stamp on the Man of Steel, and I'm shocked that the trend didn't hold true this time around.
Clark Kent is back on the job, both as a reporter for The Daily Planet and as Metropolis's caped champion, Superman. But now that he's got his powers back and resumed his dual identities, he's finding it hard to juggle the Herculean demands on Superman's time and Clark's responsibilities as a husband and employee. As he focuses on saving lives and putting a stop to the resurgence of Intergang in Metropolis, his assignments for the Planet are slipping through the cracks, as is a special anniversary he and Lois observe every year.
It would seem Carlos Pacheco has been checking out Jim Lee's work on All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder and likes what he sees. Personally, I'm unimpressed. Showing Lois in a skimpy pair of panties on the first page, along with a gratuitous ass shot, turned me off immediately. Kurt Busiek's script embraces a Silver Age feel in the plotting and action, something that could appeal to younger readers. I don't think Pacheco sends the right message with the sexualized visual right off the bat, and he ends the issue with Lois in lingerie as well. Elsewhere in the book, his efforts reminded me a little of Jose Luis (The Return of Donna Troy) Garcia Lopez's style. I was surprised at how cluttered and cramped the art felt throughout the issue, though, and Dave Stewart's colors struck me as far too dark and muted at times to suit the more traditional tone of the story.
The core super-hero plot is fairly ordinary. This issue should have felt like the beginning of something special and new, but instead, we get some typical hero/villain tussles and a recycled Intergang story. Furthermore, Busiek tells the audience little about the central villain, Mannheim, though the script makes it sounds as though he's as prominent a character as Luthor or Brainiac.
The most irksome aspect of this issue is the fact that we see Clark Kent perform his job poorly and then try to cover his tracks with his boss. It made him seem... dishonest. I realize Busiek is trying to portray Superman as fallible, emphasizing the "man" over the "super." But it didn't work for me. Lois's part in his professional fraud doesn't help matters either. Maybe it's just because I'm a reporter for a daily paper as well, but Clark's behavior here just didn't sit well with me. 2/10
